Accreditation

Arts Awards

Young people who participate in our programme grow in confidence and fulfillment, in their creative and interpersonal skills, and their ability to take responsibility for their own work and for collaborative projects. These benefits are well documented and can transform a young person's life prospects. But The Garage delivers something more as an integral part of its programme: recognized qualifications.

The Arts Award is the first accredited youth arts scheme to recognise how young people develop as artists and arts leaders. Young people aged 11-25 of all abilities and interests can gain their awards in any art form. Taking part in an Arts Award develops young people's creative and personal skills for further education or employment and it offers young people the opportunity to gain a qualification that is on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) at Level 1, 2 or 3 and recognized by the QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority). Arts awards can help to open doors for young people to get into further education, training or employment. Students work with an adviser - an artist, teacher or youth worker - to decide which level to do and to set personal challenges. Finally, individual student's work and participation are assessed and the assessments are moderated by an external moderator. Certificates are awarded by trinity College London. 

At The Garage, we incorporate Arts Awards into our own Creative Drive programme and we have been appointed the regional development agency for the east of England since their launch in October 2005. We train advisers, provide networking opportunities for advisers and young people undertaking the award, and act as an advocate for the programme throughout the region.

The core transferable skills learned through Arts Awards include communication, leadership, team working, planning and review, alongside the development of arts skills and the ‘softer' outcomes of citizenship and greater aspiration.

Trinity Guildhall are the awarding body and the qualification is approved by the QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority).

The Garage is the regional agency for the award in the eastern region, so as well as providing the award for the young people we work with, we support other organizations across the region to support their young people

More information about the Arts Award.

Contact the East Regional Agency.

Open College Network

The Garage is an Open College Network approved delivery centre which means that we can develop and deliver our own courses. One course that we deliver regularly is our own Technical Theatre and Production course, devised alongside professional theatre technicians and teachers. We are also able to deliver a range of other courses provided by the accreditation body at level 1 and 2.

"My teacher [at school] spoke about the Arts Award but I didn’t think we could do it with fun things like doing a show. I liked taking pictures of everything so we can call it evidence." Arts Award participant.